


The rec room

by Zoya113



Category: Hatchetfield Universe - Team StarKid
Genre: Just shenanigans, M/M, altho I do be stealing robertstanions peip OCs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-14 08:00:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28667370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zoya113/pseuds/Zoya113
Summary: PEIP’s rec room is notorious for competition, and Xander just wants to win one game against his friends
Relationships: John Mcnamara/ Xander Lee
Comments: 1
Kudos: 7





	The rec room

**Author's Note:**

> I genuinely don’t know what I’m doing but I spent a week at a rec shed and I can’t play table tennis for the life of me 😔

Xander was not a mean man, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t competitive when it came to the rec room. There was almost no one more competitive than him, it was like a total switch in personality whenever he entered that room according to John. 

However no matter how badly he wanted to win, that did not make him any good at it.

Everyone had a game they were best at, John loved Uno, Schaeffer loved table tennis, the both of them sporting quite a deadly reputation in their respective games, but Xander didn’t have one. 

He wanted to be good at Poker, he wasn’t terrible with probability, being a theoretical physicist and all, but no matter how good his cards were he always seemed to lose. 

The current acclaimed champion of poker currently belonged to one of the younger soldiers, Major Maxon Bradford. Currently an undefeated champ of the Friday night recroom competitions, but Xander was quite set on changing that - he wanted to be the poker champion, or, honestly, just the champion at anything. He wanted to find his thing, and unfortunately that was not Poker. 

“Come on, what’re you waiting for?” John shot him a look when he hesitated outside the doors to the hall. 

“I’m gonna beat Maxon tonight,” he affirmed in an effort to hype himself up, adjusting his shades so they were straight on his face. 

“Great, come on then. I wanna go see if I can beat Lou in Uno,” John rubbed his hands together, pushing open the door, the noises of relaxed, slightly drunken soldiers jeering and cajoling each other was welcoming, and the slapping of cards on tables and the bouncing of ping pong balls seemed to be a rhythm to the chaos, occasionally interrupted by the collapsing of a jenga tower here and there, all noise of which was absolutely drowning out the old, beat up stereo. 

“I don’t think she’s gonna play with you after what happened last time,” Xander informed him, although his mind was elsewhere as he scanned the hall for Maxon. 

“I’ll ask Schaeffer,” he said then. 

“I don’t think you should play with her after what happened last time,” Xander was a bit more present for that warning. 

“Ugh, well she was the one who reversed the order! What did she want me to do with my pick up four?” He scoffed, rolling his eyes. “I’m gonna go tell her she has to play me, I’m the General.” He squeezed Xander’s hand once before heading off into the throng. “I’m pulling rank.” 

Xander sighed, heading over to where the cards table was set up since that was where the crowd seemed to be gathering. 

He squeezed his way through to the front, scanning the playing cards of the soldiers in front of them. He was not a snitch but oh poor Second Lieutenant Viridi, Taylor should not have put in so many chips. 

Being good at probability didn’t make him good at the game he supposed, he couldn’t help the cards he pulled. He didn’t enjoy not knowing how a game would go, maybe that was why Maxon always beat him!

Xander gave the soldier a sympathetic pat on the shoulder, and they glanced up with a confident look. 

“Nice, right?” They showed Xander their cards, two eights and a seven, and Xander couldn’t do anything but try really hard not to look at the three tens Private Donneleigh had. 

“Sure, you seen Maxon anywhere?” He asked since they were the only voice he could get a hold of in the jostle of betting soldiers. 

“Oh he just won the last round, he’s gone over to catch a break by the speakers,” they pointed over their shoulder, and Xander gulped. 

“Thanks,” he left right before Viridi laid out their cards with an all too confident ‘hah!’ 

Xander ran off a little quicker so he didn’t have to hear their reaction when Donneleigh laid out his cards, although there was a boasting cheer from the table that revealed what had happened, and chips and coins were passed around under loud shouts. 

Maxon was already winning poker tonight it seemed, and Xander steeled himself at the reminder that he was probably not going to join his friends in the hall of rec room fame, at least poker wise.

Xander straightened his jacket, popping his collar, clearing his throat, all in an attempt to seem put together. “Hey, Maxon!” He called out, catching the Major’s attention.

He peeked up at the sight of his friend, briefly stopping in his ramble about the stereo’s CDs to a soldier sorting through them to hurry his way. “Hi Xander!” 

“Hey, bud!” He said, puffing out his chest to seem more confident. “Wanna play a game?”

“Oh, of course!” He shoved his hands into his deep pockets to ensure his bounty of chips were all still in place, and Xander felt a sweat break out on his forehead, mentally crossing off poker from his list. “What do you wanna play? Poker?”

“Uh! No, maybe not poker,” he laughed. “I think we’ve had enough of that game, right?” He laughed nervously. “We can play, uhh,” he hadn’t quite thought about that just yet, he had to narrow down the list. “Oh, hey, could you give me a minute? I’ve actually just gotta check on John, he was trying to play Uno with Schaeffer and I wanna make sure he uh,” he gestured over his shoulder, “hasn’t given Schaeffer any reason to get violent.” 

“Of course! Let’s play when you’re ready!” He beamed, adjusting his signature round shades before returning to dig through the CD box for a track he liked. 

He darted back into the crowd, weaving between soldiers over to the uno table where he was incredibly relieved not to see Schaeffer. He leant over John’s shoulder, briefly intervening in the game although the table continued like nothing was wrong. 

“Firefly, did you win?” John asked, a little too preoccupied with the flash fire round of cards being smacked down on the table, John’s thumb rubbing over his pick up four card. Xander didn’t know how he always wound up with a handful of them.

“I haven’t played yet,” he informed him. “Where’s Schaeffer?”

“Well, she said pulling the General card was ‘a gross abuse of my power’ but I think she’s just scared,” he snickered, smacking down a reverse card, his eyes flicking between his cards and the pile as the turn was passed around the table, next to him, Private Lou Hartford gave an anxious laugh - it was not good to be seated next to Mcnamara in Uno. “What’re you versing Maxon in?” He asked as he prepared his next card, shuffling his hand effortlessly as if in a reminder he was in the rec room hall of fame, and not Xander - just yet, anyways. 

“I don’t know, not poker though,” he huffed, catching a glimpse of Maxon stacking his chips up to count them over by the stereo still. That was a lot. “I’m really great with word games though! I’m gonna try like, scattegories or something!” He ran the idea past him first. 

“Oh, no,” John shook his head. “That boy has so much information in his head, he’s great at word games. That’s why I always send him undercover, steer away from them.”

“Man,” he grunted, crossing that off his list. “But I’m really great at word games too, right? I always beat you in scattegories.” 

“And so does Maxon, if you really wanna win I wouldn’t test it. Any other thoughts?” He didn’t seem like he was nearly as interested in Xander’s dilemma as he was his cards. 

“Well, I’ll scratch that then,” he rubbed his neck.

“If you play uno can I play too?” He asked Xander, still a bit more focused on his cards but at least intrigued by that opportunity.

“No way,” he elbowed him. John would simply obliterate both him and Maxon, and then how would he win? As if to prove his point John called out ‘Uno,’ and seconds later slapped his pick up four down onto the pile, resulting in a frustrated scream from the Private next to him. 

“This is why I didn’t want to play with you!” Private Hartford snapped, pointing an accusing finger. “I hate it here.”

“Well what do you think I should ask him to play?” Xander inquired over the shouts at the table as Mcnamara had won yet another round. He didn’t know what they expected.

“You‘re cheating or something! I don’t get how you keep doing this, I’m gonna get your ass one day,” Private Hartford threatened.

“Hey, hey!” Mcnamara laughed, holding up his hands in defence as she shoved him, fair punishment for a plus four. “Zee, go ask Schaeffer, I’m a little busy winning,” he laughed, as the soldier on his other side elbowed him too just to get in on the fun, and the poor General was laughing too hard to defend himself. 

“Way to rub it in,” Xander rolled his eyes light heartedly, weaving his way back into the crowd. He briefly locked eyes with Maxon who waved at him. He grinned anxiously, holding up a hand to say he’d be right over before ducking further into the crowd, making his way to the table tennis tables and to his luck, finding the colonel, although she didn’t usually stray far from it. 

“Hey, Schaeff,” he greeted her, catching his breath from pushing through the crowd. 

“Schaeffer,” she corrected him as she always did. Funnily enough she didn’t seem to be playing anyone, she was just standing there with the paddle. “I’m busy.”

“Busy?” He asked, gesturing to the empty other court. “It’s okay I don’t wanna play, yikes, am I that bad?” 

She snorted. “I didn’t say that, if the shoe fits though. Still can’t find a game to win?” She asked.

“No! I just wanna win against Maxon once, he always beats me at Poker, so I’m gonna find him a game to beat him in!” He exclaimed his plan loudly. “Do you know what sorta stuff Maxon might be bad at?”

She laughed, “do we look like friends? Maxon is so annoying-“

“Did he beat you at poker?” Xander had to ask, and the colonel’s shoulder’s fell. 

“Yeah,” she answered, crestfallen. “It fucking sucked. I had all my chips in. Don’t bet, Lee, it’s a bad idea.” 

Before he could say anything, another soldier jogged up to the other side of the table and she held out a hand to pause him, widening her stance as Captain Hurley prepared to serve the ball. 

“Don’t hit it so hard this time!” He groaned, serving it with a front hand onto the table, Schaeffer immediately hit it back, it didn’t even bounce on his side of the court, just flew off. 

“Aw, man,” Schaeffer sighed. “I’m not all that good at it am I?” 

“You’re no fun to play with,” Captain Hurley scowled at her before running off to get the ball. 

She chuckled to herself, and Xander gave her a look. “Wanna hear something?”

Hoping it was about Maxon he nodded frantically. 

“I’m actually really good at table tennis, I just like making him run for the ball,” she bit down on her tongue between her teeth, watching with a grin. 

“That’s a bit mean,” Xander crossed his arms, amused that she would fake her skill level only to cause trouble. 

“It’s okay. Hurley and I go way back, the man is an asshole. I mean, so am I, but,” she snorted. 

“I’m not playing with you anymore, Schaeffer, you suck,” the captain rolled his eyes, setting the ball and the bat back down. “I don’t know what everyone’s talking about.”

“Aw man, just not my night maybe ?” She answered, pulling a table tennis ball from her pocket and bouncing it absently with her paddle with a content grin. “Now what did you want my help with?” 

“What’s your least favourite game, Schaeffer?” He questioned. She had quite the opposite skill set to Maxon, he did the math in his head, a game she hated was probably one he liked, and it would be easier to ask rather than bring up Maxon when she was still a bit sore over the Poker thing. 

“Scrabble, and if you ask me to play I’ll consider it a threat,” she pointed her bat at his chest before calling a soldier out of the crowd to come and play. 

“Schaeffer!” Corporal Blake greeted across the table, already a hint of challenge in her voice as she picked up the bat.

“Sarah and I are playing now, what else do you want?” She asked, focused on the ball the corporal was bouncing on the table. 

“Well- what game shouldn’t I verse him in?” He stammered, “or should, what do you think I should do? John wasn’t much help.” 

“Well, not table tennis,” she told him. “He’s got those shades, you’ve got no clue where he’s looking, also this is my table,” she informed him, and he took a cautionary step back as Corporal Blake served the ball, and the Colonel hit it back at a frightening rate. 

He sighed, leaning up against the wall, he didn’t really know what he had much of a chance in, he didn’t quite like games like go fish that were entirely chance based, and whatever skill Maxon had for Poker probably transferred, and he risked drawing a bad hand, which he wouldn’t be able to recover from.

He just watched the colonel play, focused and good at what she was doing, and he could still hear the frustrated shouts from the Uno table where John was still winning, the bastard. 

Winning at table tennis so consistently was a skill and practice thing, winning at uno so consistently was mostly witchcraft, he imagined. Unfortunately Xander had neither of those on his side just yet. 

Maybe if he had spent less time in the lab being a nerd and a loser- he cut that train of thought off for being a bit too harsh. 

He stepped aside, tucking himself back into the corner as a handful of soldiers passed by over to the vending machines lined up against the back walls of the rec room or to other tables less occupied in the back. 

“Hey, Schaeffer, can I play with you next?” One soldier had stopped to ask her. 

“Not now, Slate I’m concentrating!” Schaeffer snapped back in what was delivered as almost a threat, sending the poor private back off into the crowd, almost a little heartbroken. He took that as his hint not to bother Schaeffer for anymore information, she was plenty scary as it was without the game of table tennis to focus on, similar to his husband, she seemed to have a competitive streak.

He pushed his way back into the mess of soldiers, elbowing his way through burlier men all laughing and shouting in his ears as they walked by in search of their next game, he’d go investigate, see what there was left that didn’t involve skill or luck. 

That was a rather dead end search since that was most of them. 

He steered clear of the snap table, since that was being dominated by a handful of the younger soldiers, primarily officer Yates, he didn’t even know you could be a pro at something like Go Fish, and besides, Maxon had quick reflexes, quicker reflexes than Xander anyways and that was saying something. 

There was a Black Jacks table set up too, and even the usually stern and strict Brigadier was playing, dealing out the cards. 

He watched for a moment, perhaps if he could get Maxon in on a game with Brigadier Savant he might be able to win against him, if the brigadier could scare him out of his skills, that is. 

“Why’re you loitering? Are you joining this game or not?” The brigadier snapped him out of his train of thought, and he almost yelped. 

“No ma’am!” He turned the other way quickly, pushing back through the crowd to get as far as he could from her table. So maybe not Black Jacks if the Brigadier was in charge, turns out she could scare him out of his skills too. 

“Oh my god I hate it here,” he grunted, shouldering his way through two men much taller than him, and stumbling out on the other side of the wall of people. 

“Hi!” Came Maxon’s cheery greeting the second he caught a breath of air, making him jump back. “Do you wanna go play a game now?” He asked, the smile of a Labrador wagging its tail on his face. 

“Oh uh, yes!” He lied, glancing over his shoulder as if someone was coming to his aid. “Yeah, uh, follow me,” he braced himself to push back through the crowd but he wasn’t quite dreading how slow it became to fight through the crowd this time, he needed time to decide after all, not that there were many choices left.

But much to his demise, Maxon was a very tall man, and the crowd parted very easily for him as he followed along happily behind Xander. 

Xander gulped as he glanced back, catching a glimpse of the man’s happy smile, alas the physicist didn’t even know where he was going. 

“Oh! Hey!” Finally, he was granted some grace as Mcnamara and Schaeffer stopped them in their paths. “Win yet?” He asked Xander.

“Or lose?” Schaeffer suggested teasingly. 

He grabbed John’s wrist, leaning right in to whisper to him, “I’ve got no fucking clue what to play him in.”

“Can I come watch?” Schaeffer asked. “No one will play with me anymore,” she crossed her arms, a paddle still in her hands.

“Maybe that’s because you have more fun tricking people than playing the games,” Mcnamara didn’t answer Xander’s question in lieu of telling the colonel off and she just laughed at herself with a proud grin. 

“Perhaps,” she answered. “Is Adam here tonight?” She smacked her bat against her hand. “I’m off to bully him next- where is he?” 

“Oh well Lou and I are gonna go play table tennis before Schaeffer can hog it again, because I will not lose to her again, I don’t know how she got so good at it, I certainly didn’t teach her that,” John seemed thoughtful. “And I mean you didn’t, or did you? Is that a physicist thing?” 

“Oh!” Xander’s jaw dropped. “A physicist thing!” He thought out loud. “I love physics!” He had a moment of realisation, that was his strength, one thing he had that Maxon didn’t. 

“Oh you taught her table tennis?” Mcnamara gestured as if he were holding a bat. “I’ve got a mean serve though, my mentor taught me that,” he pretended to backhand a ball across an imaginary table. 

“Wilbur?” Xander stopped him. “What sort of stuff was he teaching you?” 

“Oh, my mentor didn’t teach me that,” Schaeffer gripped her bat like a gun. “That’s why you almost die every second day, John, Wilbur didn’t teach you shit.” Her voice hitched though as if she wasn’t entirely comfortable insulting their past colonel. “Now if you guys are hesitating, I’m gonna go chase down Hurley and hit him with it,” she whacked McNamara’s shoulder with the table tennis paddle as if to demonstrate, and he scoffed, side stepping her next attack. 

“Good luck, to either one of you,” she declared. 

“She had a drink before hand,” Mcnamara informed him, rubbing his shoulder. 

“I didn’t teach anyone table tennis,” he noted just for the record. I was just saying, force of motion, trajectory, that sorta stuff.” Xander watched her go, deciding he probably could not play table tennis now that Schaeffer had stolen the paddle anyways, but he had a better idea. 

“Let’s play pool, Maxon!” He told the taller man, an excited look on his face. He didn’t play all that often, in fact it was one of the least popular games here on account of no one really knowing how to play, Xander wasn’t even actually all that experienced - but he did know his physics, and he could imagine the angles he would have to hit, and the force he would have to strike at, and he knew Maxon did not.

“Oh! Sounds fun!” He beamed, hurrying the lieutenant over to the table. “I like pool because all the balls have fun colours!” He exclaimed, picking up a cue stick. “I think pool is really fun!”

“Oh you do?” Xander was once more taunted by the rustle of poker chips in his pockets, and his heart skipped a beat at the idea Maxon was a regular to pool. 

He just swallowed his panic, examining the sticks on the wall while Maxon set up the game like it was all too familiar to him, he held his breath as he tried to figure out which stick would be best, he had to win, just one game, and then he would be happy, he was just wondering whether or not he had picked the right one.

“Here! You can go first if you want!” Maxon invited him, stepping back from the table.

Xander cast him a suspicious look from behind his shades as he lined up by the cue ball. Why did he want Xander to go first? That was a little too confident of the man for a competition.

Maxon however, was just smiling, as per usual. 

He took in a cooling breath, he couldn’t get his mind tangled up in fear, not if Maxon was trying to get him on edge. He focused on the ball, drawing back his cue stick, running the calculations in his mind - they were more familiar than all this noise, and calmed his heart. 

He struck the cue ball with only enough force to send the last few balls of the triangle off, one already managing to fall into a hole to his surprise, but leaving the triangle mostly intact. 

“Oh hahah!” Maxon chuckled. “That’s a weird way to do it!” He struck the remains of the triangle, the balls bouncing off the walls of the table, clacking against each other and aside from a ball or two, ultimately going nowhere. “Hitting it is my favourite part, I like to see them go!” He stretched up with excitement on the tips of his toes, pressing his hands together. “Your turn!” He exclaimed.

What a clever move though, now none of the balls were close enough to any of the holes. He would have to set them up only for Maxon to take them, he glanced up at the mastermind behind his shades, trying not to let it show that he was getting to him. 

Maybe his tactic was not to succeed, but to stop Xander from doing so. 

If he struck the back wall with the white ball though it would bounce into a red one and if it were just right it could push his striped ball into a hole. He measured out the force, all while Maxon ‘happily’ awaited his turn. 

That man was scheming and Xander knew it, proven more so by the excited cheer from his friend as he successfully hit the ball into the hole. What was he so happy for? He was losing! He was worried about what the man might have up his sleeve, and used his second turn to knock Maxon’s ball further from their holes.

Once more, Maxon just hit the ball with all of his force, jamming the stick into the cue ball just to watch it bounce - what on earth was this man up to? His balls were already scattered across the table, he had just retaken Xander’s move, and that was almost mocking he realised with a scowl.

By the time he had about half his balls into the hole Maxon only had three, but he wasn’t letting him lull him into a false sense of security, not when he could hear the rattle of poker chips in his pocket with each of his steps, the constant rattling was like jeering, and even a few more soldiers had gathered to watch the game, laughing at Maxon’s hits.

What did they know that he didn’t? What was all so funny about this?

He prepared his next hit carefully, there were less balls on the table now and it always took a few turns to get one in a hole, but even when he did he never received the same reactions as when Maxon did - they would laugh and elbow each other when the Major took his turn, chuckling in whispers to one another, secrets he wasn’t in the know. 

With a grunt he trained his eyes on the cue ball, drawing his stick back, ignoring all distractions. 

“You’re really good at this, Xander!” Maxon told him right before he hit. 

“Huh?” Xander halted, grabbing his cue stick tight so he didn’t shoot on accident. Maxon couldn’t get him that easily. “Yeah it’s physics, so,” he explained, taking the shot. “I’m not that bad,” he warned Maxon, just so he didn’t get too full of himself. 

No one laughed or cheered for him he noticed sourly, maybe Maxon had used all his poker wins to earn their loyalty or some big set up like that. Maxon always beat him in everything and he didn’t expect this to be an exception! He wasn’t slowing down just so Maxon could take up the lead, not when he only a couple of balls left.

“Come on, Lee!” One Corporal called to him with a hearty laugh. “Two to go,” he announced.

Xander definitely considered it a threat. He didn’t know what they were planning, maybe Pool was the wrong game - maybe Maxon was a star, the sort of star who could hit all his balls into their holes in one or two turns, (and he knew ghosts were real so he had definitely seen more unlikely things) and he had just made a terrible mistake.

“I know, I can see!” he snapped back, trying not to let it get to him, watching to see Maxon’s next move. 

“Oooh,” the Major hummed aloud, leaning right down to be eye level with the ball, this was the first time he had done that, and Xander braced himself as the man drew back his cue, testing it slightly in his fingers like Xander had done. 

He struck, thwacking his ball into the hole as it bounced off a second ball, lining the latter up in front of its own hole.   
“Oh wow! Did you see that?”

“Yes I saw that Maxon!” He snapped, licking his lips anxiously and trying to calculate how many turns it would take him to win, and just how fast Maxon could, but his brain was starting to get jittery after that move. 

Xander squinted to focus, Maxon could always mess around with the position of the cue ball, hold him off until he could win, it was impossible to estimate a number because he didn’t know Maxon’s playing style.

Maxon took his turn, learning down to eye level again, and hitting the ball he had lined up into the hole with a laugh. “That’s how you play,” he teased, rounding the table to get to another ball, Maxon walked the other way, almost like they were circling each other.

He braced himself, eyes trained on the last of his colours, even when Maxon was laughing at the balls rolling across the green he didn’t look away, as if Maxon would just take them off the table while he had his back turned.

But Maxon didn’t hit any balls into the hole that turn, and gave a sheepish laugh. “Looks like you’re winning this one, buddy!” He exclaimed, and Xander shot him a shocked and offended look for his mockery. 

“Yeah I will!” He exclaimed triumphantly, gesturing to the last striped ball on the table, and the onlookers laughed again, he didn’t know why. But he walked around the table, setting his cue down, lining it up with the white ball. He held his breath before pulling back and striking, sending the ball rolling into the hole, just like that. 

His jaw dropped, but for a second he didn’t allow himself to celebrate his victory, he glanced to Maxon first to ensure there was no trickery, no other balls on the table he had missed - that had been oddly easy, what was Maxon laughing about!?

“Good job!” He cheered. “You’re good at that, wanna play something else?” He offered. 

“Huh?” He pointed his cue stick at Maxon. “I beat you,” he pointed out.

“Yeah! By quite a lot!” He exclaimed with a laugh, the crowd around them beginning to disappear without another word. He pushed the remaining balls around the table to watch them bounce, being careful of his hands. 

“Yeah but!” Xander frowned. “I beat you, your reigning championship, you always beat me at everything!” 

“Hah, since when?” Maxon titled his head. “Hey, Mcnamara!” He greeted the General as he appeared by the table, glancing around to gauge what had happened. “I don’t always win, do I?” He asked.

“Well I beat him in Uno all the time,” John grinned rather devilishly. “Why, did you guys wanna play?”

Xander shook his head to tell John that this was not the right time, he was trying to pry answers from Maxon, who didn’t seem to think this was equally as big a deal as he did.  
HF  
“And Schaeffer always beats me at table tennis, I wouldn’t even try with her!” Maxon sighed. ”Maybe you’ll always beat me at pool!” He suggested with a smile, unfazed to the shock currently riveting through Xander. 

This is not what he spent all evening worrying about, surely. He didn’t believe there was no trickery back there, what was Maxon so glad about that whole time?

“I don’t even know we were competing! Haha!” He slapped Xander on the back. “Anyways I’m gonna go cash in my chips, but then I’m calling it a night! Thanks for playing with me, Xander!” And with that he was off. 

“Oh, that’s a shame, Zee,” Mcnamara shrugged, coming to stand besides the frozen man. “But I mean, at least you won against him though right? That’s what you wanted?”

Xander sighed, letting his mess of thoughts all out with one deep breath, flopping back against the table. “I wanted to be good at something,” he told John. “But I don’t think it counts if Maxon was just really bad,” he explained.

“Well I mean, night is still young, Zee,” he bumped his shoulder. “Go find someone who’s really good at pool, and see if you can beat them.”

“No one here is good at pool,” he pointed out, rubbing his finger across the table and coming back with a line of dirt. “We pretend this table doesn’t exist.”

“Well. That would make you the best them right?” Mcnamara elbowed him this time, slapping a hand onto his shoulder. “Is that what you wanted?”

“I feel like I haven’t accomplished anything,” he confessed, those five seconds of triumph had been quite lovely, but now he just felt empty, and somehow worse than before. 

John rubbed his shoulder with a hand. “Well I’ll let you try and beat me if you want?” He offered jokingly, and Xander batted his hand away. 

“In pool?” He perked up.

“No. Uno,” John corrected.

“Oh fuck off,” he snorted, shoving John and rolling his eyes as they stood by the now abandoned pool table, although, perhaps he could go for another round.

**Author's Note:**

> A handful of the peip guys here are just  
> Robertstanions ocs anfnsnfndf love them


End file.
